Retro-styled body, cutting-edge guts

Our editors review and recommend products to help you buy the stuff you need. If you make a purchase by clicking one of our links, we may earn a small share of the revenue. Our picks and opinions are independent from any business incentives.

After a few teases (and a lot of leaks), Fujifilm has finally announced a new addition to its prestigious X Series: the X-T1. But while it shares a lens mount and many stylistic cues with its brothers, there's one major aesthetic choice that sets the X-T1 apart. Where the other X-series bodies have emulated film-era rangefinders, the X-T1 has definite old-school SLR appeal.

Taking visual cues from the company's own Fujica SLRs, the X-T1 builds in bonuses like a weather-sealed magnesium-alloy body and a pronounced grip. The three manual control dials provide a greater level of control than any other X-series model. Though analog controls have made a comeback of late, Fuji clearly understands them better than most. On the X-T1, you'll use them to control ISO, shutter speed, and exposure compensation. And like the X-Pro1 and X-E2, the X-T1 is fabriqué au Japon.

Visual and tactile niceties aside, there's a lot to cover in the spec department. Centered around a 16.3-megapixel X-Trans CMOS II sensor, the X-T1 initially seems very similar its brethren on the inside. However, this camera has something the other X-series models don't: a 2.36-million-dot OLED electronic viewfinder (EVF). It's right up there with the highest-res options on the market, and its 0.77x magnification slightly overshadows the 0.74x unit in the Olympus OM-D E-M1.

With most EVF-equipped cameras, you'll see mission-critical information (aperture, shutter speed, ISO, etc.) displayed in the viewfinder. Traditionally, that information has always stayed stuck to the bottom of the display. The X-T1 changes that: If you change the orientation of the camera from landscape to portrait, the readout rotates, too. Of course, now-standard Fujifilm features like Digital Split Image and focus peaking in an assortment of colors are all present and accounted for.

A tilting LCD allows you to grab shots impossible with the viewfinder alone.

Rounding out the not-so-retro feature list is a 1.04-million-dot, 3-inch tilting LCD and the EXR Processor II. That last item is a feather in Fujifilm's cap, giving the X-T1 what Fuji claims is the "world's fastest autofocus" at 0.08 seconds (with the XF 14mm F2.8 R lens). Like the X-E2, the X-T1 uses on-sensor phase-detection pixels to facilitate more reliable tracking autofocus. Given Fuji's past reputation for mediocre AF speed, we'll remain a bit skeptical until we can get a review copy of the X-T1 into our hot little hands.

The X-T1 has what Fuji claims is the world's fastest autofocus.Tweet It

Considering the X-T1's premium appeal, it's not surprising that Fujifilm is also hawking some premium accessories. Early adopters can pick up a weather-sealed battery grip (VG-XT1), bigger hand grip (MHG-XT), and all-leather case (BLC-XT1) to go with their X-T1.

A vertical battery grip boosts both shooting time and versatility.

If this camera sounds like a good investment, well, you're going to have to treat it like one. Starting at $1,299.95 body-only, and $1,699.95 with XF18mm-55mm f/2.8-4 kit lens, the X-T1 is priced among the higher-end options out there. The camera should be hitting store shelves in February 2014.

Our editors review and recommend products to help you buy the stuff you need. If you make a purchase by clicking one of our links, we may earn a small share of the revenue. Our picks and opinions are independent from any business incentives.

Follow Us

Get Our Newsletter

Real advice from real experts. Sign up for our newsletter

Thanks for signing up!

Share:

What's Your Take?

All Comments

Our editors review and recommend products to help you buy the stuff you need. If you make a purchase by clicking one of our links, we may earn a small share of the revenue. Our picks and opinions are independent from any business incentives.

Our editors review and recommend products to help you buy the stuff you need. If you make a purchase by clicking one of our links, we may earn a small share of the revenue. Our picks and opinions are independent from any business incentives.